In this review, we will be comparing Prime Tower and Motion 20i, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from SVS and MartinLogan. Let's have a brief look at the main features
of SVS Prime Tower and MartinLogan 20i first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
What size room are the SVS Prime Tower and MartinLogan 20i speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size and max power parameters:
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the SVS Prime Tower and MartinLogan 20i compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Prime Tower is a 3-way design whereas the Motion 20i is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
| Driver |
SVS Prime Tower |
MartinLogan 20i |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1.0 x 1.4-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 5.5-inch
|
Prime Tower features a 1" aluminum dome Tweeter , a 4.5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 350Hz and 2100Hz. On the other hand, the Motion 20i features a 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion Tweeter and 2 x 5.5" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 500Hz and 2600Hz.
Frequency Response
Prime Tower has a frequency range of 30-25k Hz whereas Motion 20i has a frequency range of 46-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the Prime Tower can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Motion 20i's min frequency of 46Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Prime Tower is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Motion 20i which has a nominal impedance of 4 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Motion 20i can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Prime Tower sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the Motion 20i's is rated at 90 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the MartinLogan 20i a more sensitive speaker compared to SVS Prime Tower, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. While using an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Prime Tower can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Motion 20i has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Prime Tower.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Motion 20i features Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Prime Tower has a 5-Way post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
SVS Prime Tower's 5-Way post terminals
MartinLogan 20i's Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Prime Tower and Motion 20i have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare SVS Prime Tower's and MartinLogan 20i's external dimensions. SVS Prime Tower has external dimensions of 931.0 x 204.0 x 297.0mm ( 36-5/8 x 8 x 11-11/16inch) whereas MartinLogan 20i has external dimensions of 905.0 x 175.0 x 307.0mm ( 35-5/8 x 6-7/8 x 12-1/16inch) .
MartinLogan 20i is 29mm narrower and 26mm shorter than SVS Prime Tower but it is also 10mm deeper.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of SVS Prime Tower and MartinLogan 20i in scale.
Comparison image of SVS Prime Tower and MartinLogan 20i Size and External Dimensions
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the SVS Prime Tower is approximately 605.9cm2 / 93.9inch2 and base area of the MartinLogan 20i is approximately 537.3cm2 / 83.3inch2. The Prime Tower requires 13% more surface area than the Motion 20i which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The SVS Prime Tower weighs 18.23kg / 40.1lbs and the MartinLogan 20i weighs 15.00kg / 33lbs. This makes the Prime Tower 22% heavier than the Motion 20i.
Here is a comparison of how Prime Tower and Motion 20i's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of SVS Prime Tower?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Prime Tower:
Floorstanding loudspeakerGrille (pre-installed)4 Elastomer isolation feet (pre-installed)4 Spike feet4 Nuts4 Protective discsOwners ManualSVS brochureOnline Product Registration Card
What's in the Box of MartinLogan 20i?
Here are the items that come with the Motion 20i:
Floorstanding loudspeaker2 Grilles4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)4 Spike feet (w/ nuts attached)Users ManualWarranty/Registration Information
 Max Input Power |
250 watts
vs
200 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
5.5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
| Low Frequency Response |
30 Hz
vs
46 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Price per pair* |
1400USD
vs
2000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Height |
905mm
vs
931mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
537cm2 (175x307mm)
vs
605cm2 (204x297mm)
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
SVS Prime Tower |
MartinLogan Motion 20i |
| Brand |
SVS |
MartinLogan |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-250 watts |
20-200 watts |
| Sensitivity |
87 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
4 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
30-25k Hz |
46-25k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
5.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polypropylene |
Aluminum |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1.0 x 1.4" |
| Tweeter Type |
dome |
Folded Motion |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
4.5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
350Hz and 2100Hz |
500Hz and 2600Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
| Suggested Break-in Period |
n/a |
Allow 72 hours of break-in at 90 dB |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
931.0mm (36.7") |
905.0mm (35.6") |
| Width |
204.0mm (8") |
175.0mm (6.9") |
| Depth |
297.0mm (11.7") |
307.0mm (12.1") |
| Weight |
18.23kg (40.1lbs) |
15.00kg (33lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Black |
Gloss Black, Matt White, Red Walnut |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |